Testing Your Integration

How to test your SheerID integration with Test Mode and Live Mode testing — simulate every verification outcome using the test trigger values.

Overview

Every new SheerID program starts in Test Mode — an emulation of the live verification experience. Because test mode does not consult real data sources, the outcome of a verification is driven entirely by the values you submit (see the triggers below). In test mode:

Successful verifications return a hashed placeholder reward, not a live reward code.
Requests are not billable.
Offer protections are disabled.
SheerID-hosted forms show a red Test Mode banner.

The same REST endpoints and JavaScript library are used for test and live — there is no separate test host. A program’s mode (and its testing allowlist) is configured in MySheerID.

Test Mode vs Live Mode testing

There are two ways to exercise test behavior:

Test Mode (pre-launch). The whole program is in a test state. Use it before launch to verify styling, copy, links, CTAs, and webhooks end to end.

Live Mode testing (post-launch). Once a program is live, add specific email addresses (up to 20) to the program’s testing allowlist in MySheerID. A verification submitted with an allowlisted email gets test-mode behavior (hashed reward, not billable), while every other consumer goes through real verification.

Note: Be careful with allowlist emails. A mistyped address is not allowlisted, so that submission becomes a real, billable verification. Turn Live Mode testing off as soon as you finish.

Simulate outcomes by first name

In test mode, set the firstName field to one of these values to force a specific outcome. Any other first name yields the field-based result in the next section.

`firstName`	Outcome
`UPLOAD`	Routes straight to the document-upload step.
`REJECTED`	Instant verification fails; routes to document upload if the program allows it.
`EMAILLOOP`	Triggers the email-loop (confirm-your-email) step.
`SSO`	Triggers the school Single Sign-On step.
`ID_CHECK_LOOP`	Triggers the ID-check (government ID) step.
`__ERROR__`	Returns a simulated error.
`error`	Returns an error outcome. Set `lastName` to a numeric error code to simulate a specific error (for example, data not available, data source unavailable, or pending).
`delay`	Adds artificial latency before responding. Set `lastName` to the delay in milliseconds (max `10000`) to test client timeouts.

Simulate pass/fail by field

When firstName is not one of the trigger values, the instant pass/fail result is determined by the first of these fields present on the request:

Field	Pass	Fail	Error
Birth date	Even year	Odd year	A future date
SSN (last 4)	Even number	Odd number	`0`
ID number	Even number	Odd number	`0`
Postal code	Even number	Odd number	`0`

For example, a birth date of 1990-01-01 (even year) passes instantly, while 1991-01-01 (odd year) fails and moves to document upload.

What’s different from production

	Test Mode / allowlisted	Live
Data sources	Not consulted (inputs drive the result)	Consulted
Reward	Hashed placeholder	Real reward code
Billing	Not billable	Billable
Offer protections	Disabled	Enforced

Going live

When you’re ready, switch the program out of Test Mode in MySheerID. After launch, use Live Mode testing (the allowlist above) to validate changes without interrupting real consumers — and remember to turn it off when you’re done.

REST API — the request/response loop you’re testing.
Errors — interpret the error outcomes you simulate.
Setting Up Webhooks — verify webhook delivery while testing.
SheerID Knowledge Base: Testing pre-launch and Live Mode testing.